


What Must be Done

by Inuy21



Series: Alistair/Elissa Cousland [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Angst, F/M, for good reasons..., sneaking away in the middle of the night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 09:46:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14668464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inuy21/pseuds/Inuy21
Summary: Elissa decides it's time to leave, that she needs to find this elusive cure.





	What Must be Done

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little hc for my Warden and how her journey starts. Plus something small to contribute to Alistair Appreciation Week over on Tumblr.

Shame and guilt washed over Elissa as she slipped from the warm bed. As her feet hit the floor, she glanced back at her husband, her king. Alistair was snoring softly, head turned in the opposite direction of her departure. She bit lip and resisted the urge to reach out and touch him, kiss him, one last time. If she woke him all her planning would go out the window. 

She scoffed softly as she prodded the floor for her clothing. She should have left while he was away, but she hadn’t the heart and she wanted to give him a proper goodbye. Heat flushed her skin at the memory of their evening spent together. Her hand fluttered above her belly knowing by now that his seed wouldn’t take, that she would never be able to provide him with an heir. It was why she had to leave, to find the cure for the calling and get rid of this cursed taint that ran through their blood. 

With a shake of her head she continued to collect her clothes and began to dress in the near-darkness. The pain helped motivate her, quicken her steps and yet still cautious of waking Alistair. Then the hardest part of all this came as she slipped the last of her traveling outfit on. Elissa took a deep, silent breath and slowly opened the drawer of her bedside table. 

A trembling hand reached in and easily found the letter she had wrote weeks ago. Her fingers ran around the edges of the folded parchment, eyes closing. She wanted to kiss her husband one last time, but that might wake him. So she opted to press her lips against the damning letter before setting it down on the table where he would find it in the morning. 

One last lingering look before she left, she wanted to hold on to tonight, to all the good memories they had shared. How long would it be before they saw each other again? Elissa didn’t want to think of the possibility that this might be the last time she would ever see Alistair. The thought of leaving him like this already tore at her heart, knew that he may not forgive her, but once she was far enough she would write to him again. She had to hold out hope for her journey. 

Then she was dashing through the castle hallways and out to the stables where she had stored some light armor, a sword, and some food to sustain her until she could get to Vigil’s Keep. She would only stop to get better equipment and then be on her way. If she stayed too long Alistair would be sure to find her and she couldn’t have that. No, she had to keep moving until she reached her destination, to where the cure might be. 

As she trotted away from her home, though, Elissa couldn’t stop herself from giving one last look over her shoulder and whispering, “I love you. I promise I’ll be back with good news, Al.”

Alistair snorted awake, his upper body straightening as his hands rubbed over his face. After getting his bearings, his right hand stretched out to find his wife, only to come up empty-handed. His fingers gripped the barely-warm sheets as he became more alert. He rolled out of bed, dragging the covers with him until he released them. 

“Shit!” he growled in pain when his toes found the bedside table when his legs swung off the bed. He was too panicked as he searched for the matches. “Lis?” he called out hoping she would answer him, that perhaps she had just gotten up to go the bathroom. 

Maybe she had gotten hungry and went down to kitchen? It was unlikely, Alistair knew, but he needed proof. His heart stuttered, remembering how forlorn she had been upon his return. Oh she had put on her best smile and an outfit that had muddled his mind and tempted him to shove her into one of the nearest alcoves of the castle, but it was all to throw him off his guard he now realized. 

Finally finding the matches, he lit a candle and stood then made a slow circle of the room. His eyes squinted, looking for any sign of but not finding any. With a huff he rounded the bed, intent on going down to the kitchens until he recalled he was naked. When he went to set the candle down on Elissa’s side of the bed, that’s when he saw the letter. It hadn’t been there earlier, had it? He had been far too interested in getting both he and his wife undressed and properly worn out when they’d retired. 

One shaky hand lifted the parchment, catching his name written in Elissa’s hand. His knees buckled, almost sending him to the floor before he caught himself on the bed. Shifting his weight he dropped down onto the mattress as he unfolded the letter that was sure to break his heart, mind, and spirit.


End file.
